Stopping device for card feeding machines



NW 13, 1956 A. WILSON ETII'AL' STOPPING DEVICE FOR CARD FEEDING MACHINESFiled Sept. 2. 1953 ATTORNEY INVENTO mum BERNARD V- KAMP GEORGE A.LUNING LAWRENCE A.WILSON Patented Nov. 13, 1956 ire STOPPKNG DEVICE FQRCARD FEEDING MACHENES Lawrence A. Wilson, Apalachin, Bernard V. Kamp,Binghamton, and George A. Luning, Endicott, N. Y., assignors toInternational Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application September 2, 1953, derial No.378,112 7 Claims. (til. 271-57) This invention relates to an improvementin sheet feeding machines and more particularly to a device forautomatically stopping machine operation when a sheet or card is fed inan improper manner.

In the operation of high speed accounting machines or other machineswherein cards are successively fed along a common path of travel, itfrequently happens that a wrinkled or otherwise mutilated card fails tofeed properly, and as a result a card jam occurs in which a substantialnumber of cards are damaged. These cards cannot be used again, and newcards must be perforated to replace them, all of which causes aconsiderable loss of time and a corresponding decrease in the output.

The prior art discloses a jam detection means comprising a light weightrod which extends the length of the card transporting chamber and ispositioned substantially above the plane of the feeding cards. Abuckling action of a card or a plurality of cards during sorting wouldlift the rod and open a set of electrical contacts to break the circuitto the motor of the machine. When placed near the card line, this rod iseasily lifted by slightly mutilated cards which are feeding properly tocause a false stopping of the machine. When the rod is positioned farenough above the card line to avoid contact with wrinkled cards, asubstantial number of cards would be involved in a card jam before therod would detect the jam. The present invention eliminates theseobjectionable features found in the prior art.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improvedjam detection device for a sheet feeding machine in which the sheetfeeding mechanism is automatically stopped when a sheet fails to feedproperly.

An object is to provide a jam detection device which quickly stops thecard feeding mechanism of a high speed accounting machine to preventinvolvement of a substantial number of cards when a card jam occurs.

Another object is to provide a jam detection device which utilizes thecumulative effect of a plurality of card jams to cause the card feedingmechanism to stop quickly.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the followingdescription and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention andthe best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic elevation of a card feeding mechanism equippedwith one form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the jam detection device partly in sectionshowing the relative position of the parts when a card jam occurs.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the card feeding mechanism taken alongline 3-3 of Fig. 1 and showing the jam detection device mounted inposition.

Referring to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention is shown in Fig. 1 as applied to the card feeding mechanism ofa sorting machine of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,741,985,issued to E. A. Ford on December .31, 1929, in which a plurality ofsorting pockets are employed. However, the invention is not specificallyso limited and is adaptable for use in other suitable machines.

In Fig. 1 an electrically controlled sorting machine is disclosed inwhich the sorting of record cards is accomplished through the medium ofa sorting magnet 11 under control of analyzing brush 22 which causesenergization of the magnet 11 as soon as a hole is encountered in thecard column analyzed. The electrical circuits which accomplish this arenot illustrated herein, since they do not comprise any part of thepresent invention. According to the point of time at which theenergization of the sorting magnet 11 takes place, the armature 23, uponwhich the ends of the tongues 24a of the: guide blades 24 leading to thecard receiving pockets 25 rest, determines the destination of the cardbeing analyzed.

The ends of the tongues 24 are spring-urged downwardly upon the armature23 so that during the card analyzing cycle the record card R is guidedbetween the end of the tongues 24 and the armature 23, with the resultthat on the energization of the sorting magnet 11, only as many tongues24 are lowered by the armature as do .not overlie the record card, whilethe remaining tongues 24 are kept in raised position by the card. Forthis purpose, there is provided a fixed bar 26, parallel to, and on alevel with, the armature 23, in its normal position, arranged to supportthe record card after the armature is lowered. It may be mentioned thatthe time of energization of the sorting magnet depends upon the positionof the hole in the card column, each of which has twelve index pointpositions, so that the cards may be guided selectively into any one oftwelve sorting pockets 25.

Through the downward movement effected by energization of the sortingmagnet, the tongues 24 disengaged from the card R produce a gap betweenthe last tongue caught by the record card and the next adjacent tongue,moved downwardly along with the armature 23, into which gap the recordcard is conveyed and thereafter guided to the coordinated sorting pocketby means of the usual feeding rollers 27.

If it should happen that there is no perforation in the card columnanalyzed, the magnet 11 will not be energized, and the card will passbeneath all of the tongues 24 and will be guided to a thirteenth pocket25R known as the reject pocket. The card feeding mechanism comprises apicker .28, horizontally reciprocable to feed cards, singly, from thebottom of a stack 29 to a pair of feed rollers 30 which advance the cardto and between brush 22 and contact roller 307 The machine is motordriven in the conventional manner.

The jam detection device of the present invention is shown mounted abovethe card line in Figs. 1 and 3. A channel support member 31 is securedto the frame of the sorting machine and extends almost the full lengthof the card feeding mechanism. A series of brackets 18 are secured onthe rib portion of channel 31 and support the jam detection device onbars 19 which are mounted .between the machine side frames. A bracket 32having a pair of cars 32a is fastened on the rib portion of channelmember 31 near the end of the feeding mechanism. An L-shaped arm 33 ispivotally mounted on the ears 32a of bracket 32 through lugs 34 andpivot pin 35. A metal ribbon 36 is fixed at one end to channel member 31by screws 37 (Fig. 1) and passes over a guide block 38 carried bychannel 31. The other end of ribbon 36 is connected to arm 33 at 39. Itshould be understood that ribbon 36 is not restricted to a metalcomposition but may be made from any material which provides a similarresilient characteristic. A series of projecting guide members 40 aresecured to channel 31 and are positioned at spaced intervals. The guidenearest to the center portion of channel 31 has a duo of openingsdesignated 40a (Fig. 3) through which ribbon 36 passes to restrictlateral movement of the ribbon. A spring 41 extends between block 32 andarm 33 to bias the arm in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1,and hold ribbon 36 straight across all the guide members 40.

Referring now to Fig. 2, a microswitch 42 is shown mounted on a bracket20 which in turn is secured to channel 31. Arm 33 has an extension 33awhich carries an adjustable screw 43 on its undersurface, the end ofwhich cooperates with a spring pressed plunger 44 protruding from themicroswitch 42. This plunger controls contacts (not shown) supportedinternally in the microswitch 42. These contacts are in series with thestop key contacts 214 shown in Fig. 15 of the forementioned U. S. PatentNo. 1,741,985, issued to E. A. Ford, and are closed to permit the motorto remain energized. The arm 33 is biased in a clockwise direction, aspreviously described, and presses the screw 43 against plunger 44, thusmaintaining the microswitch contacts closed during normal machineoperation.

When a faulty card, in passing through the card feeding mechanism,becomes jammed, other cards will be snagged on the jammed card, thusresulting in destroying or mutilating a substantial number of cardsunless the machine is quickly stopped. In Fig. 2, a card jam is shown inwhich a buckled card urges the ribbon 36 upwardly between the adjacentguide members 40 to cause a pull on the arm 33, thus rotating the armcounterclockwise about pin 35 against the pressure of spring 41. Thismovement of arm 33 releases the pressure of screw 43 against plunger 44to open the microswitch contacts in the motor circuit. This action isquick to occur, since a small movement upwardly of ribbon 36 causes itto be drawn over the adjacent guides 40 to effect a pull on the arm 33.It can be readily seen that simultaneous card jams at more than onelocation in the card feeding mechanism have a cumulative effect on theribbon 36 to cause an immediate pull on the arm 33 which results inopening of the microswitch contacts.

From the foregoing it is apparent that a jam detection device isprovided which is sensitive to any variation of a single card or aplurality of cards from the proper path of travel at a particularlocation or distortions of cards from the path of travel simultaneouslyfrom a plurality of locations in the card path to cause improper feedingof cards by the feeding mechanism. This device acts quickly in apositive manner to stop the feeding of cards before damage is done tothe cards which follow the jammed card or cards. The mutilation of cardsduring the sorting or other operation is vastly reduced, and theproductive capacity of the machine is increased thereby.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferredembodiment, it will be understood that'various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the deviceillustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in theart, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is theintention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope ofthe following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for feeding sheets, a series of pairs of feed rollersfor feeding sheets successively along a common path, a jam detectingribbon stretching along said path and fixedly anchored at one endthereof, a series of ribbon guides coinciding in location with said feedrollers and against which the ribbon rests, a switch for controlling theoperation of said feed rollers, and an operable arm connected to theother end of said ribbon for holding said ribbon straight across all ofsaid guides and said switch in one position, distortion of a card fromsaid path pushing transversely on said ribbon between said guides toeffect tensioning of said ribbon and cause a pull thereon, whereby saidarm is operated to move said switch to the other position and stop theoperation of said feed rollers.

2. In an accounting machine, a mechanism for feeding cards successivelyalong a common path, a support member, a switch for controlling theoperation of the feeding mechanism, a movable arm for operating saidswitch to stop the feeding mechanism, a ribbon extending along said pathand connected at one end to said arm, the other end of said ribbon beingconnected to said support member, a plurality of guides projecting fromsaid support member and located at spaced distances along said ribbon,resilient means extending between said support member and said arm tohold said ribbon straight across all of said guides and said switchclosed, distortion of a card from said path pushing transversely on saidribbon between said guides to effect a pull on said ribbon, whereby saidarm is moved to operate said switch and stop said feeding mechanism.

3. In a statistical machine, a mechanism for feeding recordssuccessively along a common path, means having a movable operating armfor controlling the operation of the feeding mechanism, a ribbonextending along said path and connected at one end to said arm andfixedly mounted at the other end, and a plurality of guide membersprojecting toward and into contact with said ribbon and located atspaced distances along said ribbon, distortion of a record from saidpath pushing transversely on said ribbon between said members to effecta tensioning of said ribbon and cause a pull thereon, whereby said armand controlling means are operated to stop the feeding mechanism.

4. In a statistical machine, a mechanism for moving records along acommon path in rapid succession with a plurality of them in the path atone time, a switch for controlling the operation of said mechanism, anarm normally holding said switch in one position, a ribbon extendingalong said path and connected at one end to said arm and fixedly mountedat the other end, and a series of guide members against which saidribbon rests, a plurality of simultaneous distortions of records fromsaid path applying transverse pressure to said ribbon between aplurality of pairs of said members to effect a cumulative tensioning onsaid ribbon and cause a pull thereon, whereby said arm is operated tomove said switch to its other position and stop the record movingmechanism.

5. In a statistical machine, a mechanism for feeding recordssuccessively along a common path, means having a movable operating armfor controlling the operation of the feeding mechanism, a ribbonextending along said path and connected at one end to said arm andfixedly mounted at the other end, and a guide member against which saidribbon rests between the ends thereof, distortion of a record from saidpath on either side ofsaid guide member pushing transversely on saidribbon to effect a tensioning of said ribbon and cause a pull thereon,whereby said arm and controlling means are operated to stop the feedingmechanism.

6. A card jam detection device, comprising a support member, a switchoperator movably mounted on said support member, a ribbon extending thelength of said support member and connected at one end to said switchoperator, the other end of said ribbon being connected to said supportmember, and a guide fixed to said support member and engaging saidribbon between its end limit-s to mount said ribbon in parallel spacedrelation to said support member, whereby said ribbon is capable ofmoving transversely on either side of said guide in response to a cardjam to effect a pull on said ribbon and cause operation of said switchoperator.

7. A card jam detection device comprising a support member, a switchoperator movably mounted on said support member, a ribbon extending thelength of said support member and connected at one end to said switchoperator, the other end of said ribbon being con nected to said supportmember, and a series of guides fixed to said support member and engagingsaid ribbon between its end limits to mount said ribbon in parallelspaced relation to said support member, whereby said ribbon is capableof moving transversely between said References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Keulen Apr. 13, 1954

